Michael Hess was shaliach to The Netherlands for Habonim, and her employer in Israel. 

When working with youngsters in the movement, you have the privilege of meeting magnificent people who are not fully formed and have the opportunity to inspire them. Such was my experience when I was a Jewish Agency shaliach in the Netherlands when I met this remarkable 14-year old Rebecca Baruch from the Hague. A girl who had it all figured out and knew exactly what she wanted in life.

When I went through my notes when I finished Shlichut, I found a letter Rebecca wrote me in which she stated:
“In my first talk with you I learned a very important lesson. If you have passion for your movement & ideals don’t let yourself be stopped by what others think is normal or acceptable. Without this lesson my life would have been very different”.

I thought this was remarkable to read: first of all it’s proof black on white that she actually learned or accepted something from someone.
But in fact she had her whole life already planned out and just needed confirmation that she didn’t need to take the “normal” path (as we Dutchies like).

From then on Rebecca took a few not-normal decisions:

1. At age 17 Rebecca went into the Habonim Holland Mazkirut as the youngest RoshChinuch during her year of final exams, travelling every week from the Hague to Amsterdam.
   No normal person would do this-Rebecca did and she succeeded. Needless to say she also finished her final exams in school at the highest level studying ancient Greek and Latin as well.
2. After high school she went to an all Hebrew pre-army mechina, never having studied any formal Hebrew and google-translating whatsapps in the first months. Would I recommend this to a normal person? No, to Rebecca? Yes
3. She enlisted to a kick-ass army unit while on garin tzabar, made it to officer and on the first day of the 7th of October volunteered for reserve duty.
4. Also her idea of being released from the reserves-duty to go to Habonim machaneh to lead her North American Shnat Chanichim in South Africa and then travel back Israël to immediately rejoin the reserves duty is not something that a normal person would do.

Rebecca didn’t follow a normal path and had a higher mission in life. She was not a normal personal and destined for greatness. As we say in the movement: Aleh veHagshem, which means make aliya and fulfill your personal goals as well as those of the Jewish people. Rebecca was truly the embodiment of this in all ways. She breathed the movement and we loved and respected her so much for this and we can only say thank you-toda.

Of course, as we say in Dutch: the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. When we all had the opportunity and the privilege to be the surroundings of her family, in your surroundings: dear Robbert, Sasha, Asher and Margalit we understood where her Jewish roots, her compassion and deep sense of mission came from.

Even in the most difficult times you cared about others and made us feel appreciated. You carried the burden of living between hope and despair with all of us and made out visits as pleasant as possible. The Baruch family built a whole community around Rebecca of people from all different backgrounds who united around her: tzabarim, olim, Dutchies, religious, reform. All of us united around this person so special and precious to us: Rebecca.

And now we are here at Har Herzl, a place with a great history where Diaspora Jews and Israelis come to mourn and be inspired. It is a great honor to be here, but it’s so untimely. Rebecca still had so much to achieve and her place of burial could indeed have been har Herzl. It should have been on the other side though, with the greats of the nations, together with other Habo-alumns like Golda Meir or Yitzchak Herzog. She would have been the first female president of Israël or whatever she would have put her mind to achieve.

In one of the interviews which I heard so many times in the last days she says: “Israël is the place which I chose to live and is my home. I love this country and this love is neverending” From now your fate will forever be intertwined with Israël. And so will ours. When we will walk to visit the graves of the great of the nations our groups will also visit Rebecca Baruch, and learn about this young girl from the Netherlands who has achieved so much and inspired us all.

Yehi Zichra Baruch, may she be of blessed memory